


You Found Me

by 1Reverent1



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Bay Movies)
Genre: Gen, Help, I'm Bad At Tagging, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:15:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27575735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Reverent1/pseuds/1Reverent1
Summary: So first things first, reader is gender neutral in this because like c'mon y'all, it's 2020 where are my inclusive fics at >(-+-Four brothers. Four different paths. Each of them carrying a different tale. All they've had are each other and all they've known is the crime-ridden streets of the world above. So how will they respond to meeting someone...different? Will you be able to help lift the burden of the world off their shoulders, or will you both crumble underneath?
Relationships: Donatello (TMNT)/Reader, Leonardo (TMNT)/Reader, Michelangelo (TMNT)/Reader, Raphael (TMNT)/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	1. Red Hands [1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your home life has been introduced, and a quick run to the convenience store changes your whole world.

With a sigh, you craned your neck in order to stretch your muscles out a bit, resulting in a satisfying pop. You had just got out of work and were walking back home, admiring the few small trees planted along the sidewalk and their shifting colors. Autumn was perhaps one of the more calming yet stressful times of the year. Schools were starting to prep students for finals and exams, stores were beginning to set up decorations for the oncoming holiday shoppers, and families were sitting down for vacation plans and typical holiday drama. In other words? Another unremarkable year, but this time you had been hoping for something different. Because this time, you wouldn't be as alone. 

As you made your way up the steps into the apartment building, passed the broken elevator into the stairwell, and ducked under the unfinished maintenance pipe, you finally stepped into your shared home. Kicking off your shoes, you could hear your cousin cooking something in the kitchen and he poked his head around the banister with a grin. "Well glad to see you home finally. I almost thought you ran off on me and I was gonna have to binge 'Knights and Angels' without you~!" "Hey, you'd be dead before you could even turn on the tv." Your cousin laughed as he then returned to his task at hand and you set your keys aside, plopping down on the couch to channel surf. 

In all honesty, you wouldn't be anywhere if it weren't for your older cousin. Kauai (or "Kit" as you frequently called him when you were both young) was your only other relative in New York City, besides your aunt and uncle of course. Unfortunately, when things went south between him and his parents, and you needed someplace to stay after the tragedy of your father, he gladly took that as a chance to have you two just live on your own. 

Looking at Kauai as well, people often found it hard to see you two as related. You had always lived in New York, but he was originally born off near the islands. His hair was dark and curly, he had broad shoulders and umber skin, and you have always been..well you. But cousins didn't necessarily have to look exactly alike, and Kauai was more like a brother than anything else to you honestly. Just as you flipped mindlessly through another reality tv special, Kauai finally emerged from the kitchen, setting two plates down on the coffee table before kicking back with a grin. "Alright, toss the remote over. I've been waiting for the new episode all day!!" 

And that's how your nights usually went. Wake up, get to work, come home, binge TV with Kit, and then sleep. But tonight happened to be just a _slight_ change in plans. After you both had finished dinner, Kit was just about to grab some ice from the fridge for some water before stopping with a huff. "Dammit, the icebox got stuck again.." At this, you perked up and went over to check on the automated icemaker in the freezer. "You sure? Have you already tried wiggling it?" "Of COURSE I've already tried wiggling it! The thing isn't budging though so, looks like we'll need to get our own ice until then.." 

Glancing at your phone, you read the time as 7:13, which in August around New York, meant it was already fairly dark outside. But you did happen to know a convenience store that was close by, so with that, you shut the freezer and grabbed your keys off the counter. 

"Well I can just pick some up, no biggie. We needed a few other things too so-" "Woah woah woah, just hold on a sec there." There it was. Mama bear Kauai activate. "It's already pitch black outside and you want to go walking around?? No, you can just wait till morning." "Kit, it's really not that big of an issue though!" You began to lightly bicker as you were already busy slipping on your shoes, shooting your cousin a smile in the hopes it would ease his worries. "Besides, you know I always keep some mace on me anyways. I'll grab the ice and some stuff we need, and then just come straight back here okay?" 

Kauai narrowed his eyes with scrutiny. "To the convenience store, and straight back?"

"Yup!"

"No random pit stops?"

"None whatsoever."

"So no petting random strays either right?"

"My hands shall be clean."

With all of that out of the way, Kauai lets out a long sigh and his glare turns to one of worry. "Fine..but just be careful man." At that, you grinned and swung open the door with a wink. "Oh please, aren't I always?" 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ

The doorway bell dinged as you left, waving goodbye to the elderly man left to work the cash register. As you strolled down the sidewalk you kept having to shift the bag of ice between each arm, just to avoid the cold, while _also_ carrying a loose plastic bag between your teeth so as not to drop it. 'Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come here on my own.. Then I could've made Kit carry this dumb bag instead.' You thought to yourself, though before you could complain any further, a lone breeze flew past your ear and made you shiver. It was at this point you noticed just how...quiet the street seemed. 

Okay, so maybe you didn't live in the _best_ neighborhood (correction, you lived in one of the cheapest neighborhoods around) but there would still always be a bustle of some kind. A few pidgeons, a car driving by but...there was just nothing. It was starting to really bug you so, just as you began to quicken your pace, you were at least a little thankful that a dark van was driving down the road to give at least _some_ abience on this lonely night.

That is until...it stopped right beside you. 

You didn't even have a chance to scream or grab at your mace spray before shadowed hands grappled you and yanked you inside, causing you to drop your bags as the van sped off into the night. Unfortunately Kit would be going without that ice for much longer than he anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for context, yes I'm *also* gonna be introducing some made-up side characters for you each chapter so you aren't like totally alone LOL
> 
> It'll be a different character each chapter, and a different relationship as well, but just consider it more for the worldbuilding haha


	2. Purple Mind [1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet up with a good friend and chat. Unbeknownst to you, after your work night is over, you might end up with more than you bargained for.

"So, how's your nerd work been going?" 

"Oh, same old same old. A few Frankenstein's here, maybe some mutant rabbits over there.." 

"Okay I get it! So same top secret lab stuff." 

"Yes indeed~" 

You answered with a wink as you walked beside your friend Anyu. The two of you led very different lives, but due to your shared experiences in school, you both just stayed in touch and often made a point of hanging out together whenever possible. 

At the moment Anyu had been sipping on an iced latte, her dark straight hair bouncing against her sienna skin. She was a wild card who liked to keep active and go party under bridges. Meanwhile you were the complete opposite and headed down a career path towards biology, keeping to yourself for the most part and listening to calm music on the weekends. Needless to say, you two would've never met become friends under random circumstances, and yet here you two were. 

Anyu was always a fun part of your world, afterall without her you probably wouldn't have much of a social life. Just as you were reminiscing, the girl in question elbowed you and guided you towards an open bench, plopping down instantly once she got the chance. "You're the rave nut, aren't you supposed to be used to being on your feet a lot?" You teased, making Anyu roll her eyes and slouch further as if to prove a point. "Hey, just because I box doesn't mean I _like_ being on my feet all day. In fact, I should be the one saying that to YOU since you run around a lab all the time!" "Okay okay, point taken!" You'd laugh as she continued to drink her latte, where you soon leaned back as well to enjoy the scenery. There was a park just across the street from you both, vendors for merch, news, and food lining the street, and of course the bustling crowd around you. 

"Y'know.." You started, taking your time to glance across the park horizon, admiring the people or nature beyond those gates. "Sometimes I wish I didn't have to keep it all so secret.. It'd make things a lot more fun if I could just talk about my work for once but, rules are rules." At this, Anyu shrugged and leaned over to rest her head on your shoulder. You two had known each other long enough that it wasn't even an issue to get into each other's personal space like this. "Yeah well, even without knowing about all that stuff, I don't think I would've understood it anyways." You huffed at this, to which she chuckled. "That doesn't mean I wouldn't listen though. I'm sure what you're doing is super cool and important to the world." You couldn't help but giggle just slightly at that. Anyu didn't even know a thing about science and yet, she was still supportive of you. 

Nonetheless, as she finished up her drink you glanced down at the time to check and quickly shot up, causing Anyu to suddenly catch herself before she faceplanted on the bench. "Where's the fire man? What the hell??" "Sorry!! I just realized my break is gonna be over in like 5 minutes so I need to head out! But uh-" Before you could turn and hurry away, you smiled at your friend with a wave. "Nice seeing you again Ann!" With that, your friend rolled her eyes playfully and returned the grin. "Right back at you slick. Better hurry!" 

Now that you cut your hangout time short, you were busy trying to book it back to the building you worked in, which just so happened to be where your lab was. Well technically it wasn't _your_ lab, but who's really paying attention? As you hurried down the block, you accidentally had bumped into a dark haired woman on the street, nearly falling to the ground if she hadn't grabbed your arm with surprising strength. "Ah, sorry!! I'm in a hurry!" The woman took a moment to scan your form, looking you up and down before releasing her grip. "No worries. Run along now." And like that, you continued on your path, none the wiser that the woman in question was currently looking at what she had snagged off of you in her other hand. Your laboratory ID card. 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ

As you pulled on your labcoat and straightened your clothes, a few of the others halfheartedly greeted you as you walked by. It wasn't anything personal, it was just that everyone was busy with their own tasks at hand that conversation was usually saved for the break room or after-hours. While you walked up to your own table in question, pulling over a stool to sit down, you made quick work of picking back up where you had left off. 

For whatever reason, your supervisors were tasking you and the others in your division to recreate some kind of...bio-mutagenic chemical. The reason as to why was simply because it could be used as a cure against radioactive poisoning, although the details for how your supervisors got this idea was vague at best and nonexistent at worse. Nonetheless, you were just happy to be putting your skills to what sounded like a good cause, as well as actually getting the proper funding to do so. 

You weren't the head of your division or anything remarkable like that, however, you _were_ incredibly talented at what you could do. Just in a few short months, where it took others half a year, you had managed to complete a significant half of the process. The easy part for you had been finding a weakness against most harmful radiation substances. The really tricky part was trying to cure something without killing it in the process.. That was the hard part of your job. Being a biologist, you were expected to know just how the body and nature works, both in animals, plants, and humans. Although, that often sometimes required needing to test on a small specimen every once in awhile, which you tried to resort to using plants as often as possible before moving further ahead. 

When the work day eventually came down to a close, and you shrugged off your coat and tucked away your files, you left the building with just a few short goodbyes. And as you retraced the path back to your home, the same uneventful path you had always gone down, you were none the wiser to a few other shadows tagging along behind you.


	3. Blue Voice [1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You attend an important event for someone dear to you, meeting an old rival along the way. However, the afterparty celebration ends up taking an unexpected turn...

Furrowing your brow, you shifted uncomfortably in your seat again. Tonight was meant to be a special occasion, an awards ceremony for crying out loud, but did HE really have to be here?? Your biggest rival perhaps in all of life and space-time itself, just _had_ to show up and ruin your night. Not to mention he made it even worse by sitting right beside you as the announcers on stage were giving the welcome/introduction speech. 

"..honestly, are you _still_ upset about everything that happened?" Nolan Dupont, that blond-headed French pretty boy had the nerve to whisper at you while this was going on. He must've sensed your unease, though to be fair, it was pretty obvious. "Oh nooo, of course not." You hissed back. "Afterall, why wouldn't I still be upset at the guy who stole my life away??" Nolan rolled his eyes but otherwise kept a calm demeanor, lifting a hand to casually brush back a strand of his long hair. "I didn't steal anything and you know that. I was just simply given an opportunity and took it. You would've done the same in my position.." "No!! I wouldn't have!! You sack of-" "SHHH!!" 

Your cheeks flushed slightly as someone behind you had shushed you both from bickering, although while you were still steaming mad, Nolan appeared as indifferent as ever. You huffed as you turned your attention back to the ceremony, trying to distract yourself from this annoying little setback. Truthfully, you and Nolan weren't _always_ enemies. In fact, you used to be pretty good friends in school. You both were a part of the same band division and even managed to carry your team internationally thanks to the both of you. However, when Nolan was the only one recognized for his talent instead of you, he took the rewards given to him while you were left with nothing but a few ribbons to show for it. 

To say that you were heartbroken was an understatement. You had been completely betrayed, and no matter what Nolan had to say to try and reach out to you, you were just too hurt by the fact that you guys apparently weren't as much of a team as you thought and completely swore him off. To add insult to injury, he always seemed to just...be doing _better_ in life then you were. He was promoted and given job opportunities frequently, whereas you barely struggled by and were lucky with the job you had. Nolan got interviews, while you were stuck cleaning tables in some underground parlor. 

The only reason you had been invited to this ceremony in the first place, was because a certain reporter you had become friends with over time wanted to have you as her plus one. Nolan, unfortunately, just so happened to be here as well. 

"And the winner for this year's New York Choice Award is...!" 

Your thoughts were broken as the woman at the podium finally reached what everyone had been waiting for, the entire hall holding their breath in anticipation. 

**"April O'Neil~!!"**

With a jolt, you sat up straighter and turned to look over at your friend as she got up from her seat, which was assigned just a few rows ahead of you. As April got up and made her way towards the stage, you happily applauded for her, cheering loudly in the hopes that she could hear your excited voice over the crowd. Nolan was politely giving his applause as well, although you failed to notice the faint smile he had towards you. 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ

"God, don't ever let me wear something so tight _ever_ again.." 

You complained as you and April both walked into her apartment. After her last roommate moved out (apparently she thought April was crazy or something, you didn't ask for details), you had found the extra space online and became her new roommate a few months ago. With an amused sigh, she kicked off her own heels and began taking off her earrings as she moved around the apartment. "Oh c'mon, didn't you _want_ to dress up all nice for my big award?" "Well of course!! But if my outfit chokes me in order to look good, then don't even let me go out the door." April laughed at that and nodded. "Alright fair enough. Same thing goes to you though. Those heels were a nightmare.. I'm probably gonna have a blister for weeks." 

At that you smiled, and grabbed a few things from the cabinet, April following after you. "Well, now that we're free from pompous events, let's celebrate your win yeah?" April arched a brow, though she seemed genuinely intrigued. "What, like a cake? I didn't think we had anything like that." "Oh April, my beautifully naíve friend~" You shot her a wink and hopped up onto the counter a bit to grab something above the cabinets, set perfectly in place so April couldn't have seen it. And there in your hands as you hopped down, was the fine cuisine of Betty Crocker cake mix. 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ

The two of you had a blast trying to wrestle a cake together. You and April both took turns putting it together so the other could get dressed down in pajamas, vegging out on the couch afterwards to binge cliché reality tv while you ate. Eventually, after the dishes were put away and the lights were shut off, you and April said your 'goodnights' and headed off to your respective rooms. 

Although as you tossed and turned, unable to sleep from all the sugar, you eventually got up to try and get a glass of water. Yet, as you fumbled in the dark kitchen, a scuffling from April's room caught your attention. At first you ignored it, but then you heard voices that weren't hers. 'Just..take a quick peek to make sure she's okay and then head back to bed, alright?' You thought to yourself as you set down your glass, heading over to April's door and giving a tentative knock. When you heard no reply, you slowly opened it, and what you saw next meant you definitely wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon.


	4. Orange Heart [1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your little venture away from home leaves you with more than you bargained for. Let's just hope your family won't be expecting you back anytime soon..

"Alright ma, I'm heading out!!" 

"Are you all bundled up?" 

"Of course I am!" 

"...no you aren't." 

With a huff, you stopped before you could reach the entryway and turned back to your adoptive mother. "Ma, I'll be fine out there! It's pitch black, no one will see me, and-" "I don't give a rat's ass if it's dark! Do you want to catch a cold this time of year?!" You let out a long groan, turning back to her. "You might as well just do what she says before she tears you to ribbons slick~" Your 'sister', also someone your mother had picked up, decided to add to the conversation as she rummaged around in a nearby pile of broken planks and fabric. 

So to be honest your living situation wasn't exactly...luxury at its finest. You and your small family unit stayed near the east of New Jersey, hidden out in an abandoned warehouse that was boarded up enough to keep all the nasty weather out. The only reason you absolutely couldn't live anywhere else was...well, partially(okay mostly) because of you. You weren't human in the slightest and it wasn't exactly easy to just 'blend in' when you looked the way you did. 

You had no idea how you came to be, but thankfully a half-blind woman named Sonia had found you all alone and took you in. And that Sonia was now your elderly mother, her sight completely gone now as the years went by. She shared this same homely treatment to anyone just as lost as you had been, though the only one who stayed was Janessa, a girl just a few years older than you with dark skin and short braids atop her head. Since she was the most human *and* most capable of going out in the day, Janessa often had to juggle through jobs for enough money in order to provide food for you all until she could afford a cheap but safe apartment for everyone. You on the other hand, could only go out while it was dark, and you tried to make the most of your time by keeping low-life scum off the streets and FAR away from your home turf. The last thing you wanted was anyone busting in and hurting your only family. 

So as you picked up the oversized coat from where you threw all of your clothes, you leaned down to give your mother a short peck on the head and let her feel your sleeve just to be sure you were bundled up, and then you quickly head out. Life in Jersey was always something exciting to behold. The city was loud, there was always some kind of new drama going on, and any big mansion was probably the site for another cheesy reality tv show. Needless to say, you loved the place you called home, but always yearned for more. As you hopped across rooftops, you stopped to perch on a lone billboard and simply gaze over your home city.

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ

Being the only mutant around sure was difficult at best, and lonely at its worst. You didn't want to have you and your family stuck living in an old warehouse for the rest of your life, but where else could you go? Before you could reminisce any further, you perked up at the sounds of a scuffle and a pained grunt sounded from just below you. Looking down, you watched as a scruffy man had another younger guy pinned against the alleyway, one hand over his mouth while the other kept a knife to his throat. "Now yer gonna hand over everything in yer pockets..got it? If you try any funny business then ol' knifey here might slip up and go straight through yer fuckin eye..!" His voice was hushed so as not to draw the attention of any passerby, and you frowned at the sight before you. 

"Knifey? You _really_ couldn't be any more creative then that?" The two men both looked around at your voice, though they didn't have to look for any longer as you jumped down and landed in the alleyway with a heavy thud. "Hey, beat it kid!! Unless you wanna be next." The mugger mustn't have been able to see you clearly from the shadows, though that quickly changed as you leapt forward and socked him square in the jaw before he could react. With the mugger distracted, the guy booked it and the thug must've noticed this, because he growled under his breath and quickly turned on you. "Oi, now yer gonna-!!" His aggressive tone dropped as he finally saw you, your mutant form towering over his own as you grinned.

_"Boo~"_

With that he tried to fumble away, but you easily grabbed the collar of his shirt and slammed his head against a wall, knocking him out and leaving him there for someone to properly arrest him. Hopefully. Now that the issue was dealt with, you turned to head deeper into the alleyway, just to sweep through and make sure nobody else was around who might be a threat. Though as you stopped just halfway in, a thin silhouette appeared at the end of the alley. You pulled up your coat to try and hide yourself, assuming it to be just a random pedestrian, but as you turned the other way, two more silhouettes stepped out right in front of you. 

You looked between the dark figures slowly closing in on you, now feeling threatened, though before you could try and leap over towards the fire escape, a woman's voice came from the lone silhouette. "For someone hiding in the shadows, you were rather easy to find.." Wait..find? How did this lady know you? If she found you, did she also know where your family was? "Look, I was just on my way home, so if you could-" "That disgusting warehouse you call a home?" You froze. She DID know. Every nerve in your body was in fight or flight mode, torn between trying to take these goons out, or rushing back to make sure your Ma and Janessa were safe. "Who..are you?" 

The dark haired woman narrowed her eyes at you, raising her hand. "Someone who is interested in your...unique talents." With that, she made a silent gesture and realizing that you were in danger, you threw off your coat to distract her and attempted to whip back around to handle the two thugs behind you. But they had come prepared, and just as you punched one, the other hit you with an electric rod. Your body convulsed instantly and you fell to your knees, giving the other one a chance to get up and taze you as well until you were completely on the ground. 

The last thing you heard before you blacked out were a few simple words.

_"Tie it up and throw it in the back."_


	5. Red Hands [2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The turtles are introduced and your time with the Foot still isn't over. How will everyone handle the existence of a new person among them? Especially one who's...very different

Your next moments of consciousness all came in blurs, nothing lasting longer then a minute at least. Anytime you opened your eyes, you would be introduced to some new horror. At first, you were being taken into an underground garage of some sort, or at least that's as best as you could tell from your limited view of the window. Then as they slid open the door and dragged you out, you could've swore you saw two giant behemoths bumbling towards you, but then your vision faded once more. 

Although whatever drug they used on you eventually wore off, your time spent in this building was still a haze. The Foot (you had learned their name from the insignias on their uniforms and passing conversations) had captured you as well as plenty of other people, although you rarely ever saw them. Whenever your eyes *did* open clearly, you would be strapped to a chair or a table and had an endless number of latex hands and tools prodding at you. Pricking your skin and muttering calculated whispers amongst one another until your vision faded to anesthesia. 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ 

"How is your progress, doctor?" Karai questioned as she marched on ahead into the sterile room, a quiet scientist hot on her heels. "Preparations for the other specimens have..not been reliable. Only a handful of people survived the initial testing, and even fewer are still in a healthy enough condition!" Karai glares at the bodies strapped onto examination tables. They were all nobodies..nameless urchins or poor citizens that nobody would care if they went missing. 

"So...is there **no one** who shows any promise?" She hissed through gritted teeth, turning on the doctor with a calm anger behind her eyes. The scientist staggered back, holding her clipboard up defensively over her chest as she hurried to save her own skin. "W-Wait well!! There is..p-perhaps one.." Extending the clipboard, Karai took it and glanced over the information on it. There, right at the top, was a picture taken in secret and a name. Your name. 

"Th-They've shown incredible resilience so far.. They seem to be in a healthy and stable condition a-and, based on what I could find of their personal h-habits, they aren't that big of a personality." Karai looks up, her stare once again set back to its cold indifference. "..l-less people will notice them gone th-that way.." Karai took a moment to think it over, staring down at your little sheet. She only had enough mutagen for one shot at this. If she failed, then everything she had been working for would be all for naught. So, as she returned the clipboard, she gave a nod. "Proceed with the mutation then. We will have our perfect warrior yet.." 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ 

Across the dark rooftops of New York, four bulky shapes swiftly ran by. Tracing a path they all knew by heart at this point, each of them made an attempt to try and outrace the other. And while one in orange laughed and mocked his brothers, this was more than just a simple race. They were patrolling, on a mission that had taken them months to figure out and plan, but without a solid lead, they were just looking for anything useful at this point. 

The blue-clad leader finally stopped on a high complex building, his brothers following suit, as he turned to the techie of the group. "Alright Donnie, any updates on the police scanner?" Donatello pushed up his glasses and began to tap away at a screen on his wrist, a small holographic display showing up to expose live soundwaves. "I mean other than a few noise complaints and a break in somewhere over on 34th..nothing new." Raphael, always the pessimist, rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms and leaned up against a water tower. 

"We're wasting our time tryin' to figure out stuff from the police. I say we just nab a Foot soldier of our own and make him talk!" "Oooh yeah!" Michaelangelo, who had currently been sitting on the edge, piped up as well. "We could have like the whole 'good cop, bad cop' thing going on. Raph is obviously our lead bad cop guy, and I'll be the handsome and charming good cop~ OH how's this for an impression? Listen buddy, my friend over there don't like-" Before he could get too far into it, Leonardo pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "We're _not_ doing that. Besides, even if we did find a Foot soldier, they'd easily be able to track one of their own to our location and set up some kind of ambush." 

At this point, Raphael stepped forward and nudged Leo in the head, growing more impatient by the second. "Yeah well the longer we wait on the NYPD-" He gestures a hand over to Donnie and his radio-waves. "The more people end up gettin' kidnapped!! Who KNOWS what the Foot or Karai are doin' up there to those folks, and if we don't do somethin' now, then we lose. That's it." Leo let out an exasperated groan and turned to argue, but just as he opened his mouth, Donnie's radio blew up with static and white noise. Coincidentally, one of the taller skyscrapers just a few blocks down began to light up with some kind of purple light near the higher floors. 

All at once, the brothers looked to each other and then back to the tower. "Well, it looks like you've got your answer then. Fellas?" Leo cocked his head as his brothers lined up beside him, their weapons at the ready. "Let's go ruin the Foot Clan's night." 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ 

Alarms blared on the upper floor and a multitude of scientists and doctors bustled about trying to calm their systems. The mutagen had been given, but since it was entirely alien in origin, it still ran the risk of causing everything to short circuit occasionally. Karai stood over them, her hands clenching the railway of the balcony until her knuckles turned white. "What is the issue!?" She called out just as an elderly doctor ran by her, nearly dropping the tools in his hands. "J-Just a little bug that we can fix!! Don't worry! It'll be over with shortly!" "It better be..." Karai snarled as she turned her attention back to the containment box below, staring intently at the fogging glass. 

Although once the alarms were finally shut off, they kicked back on again except this time it wasn't due to any technical error. These were distinctly different and Karai recognized them as a security breach. "They're here.." She remarked, drawing a blade from her back and heading towards the exit with a few soldiers in tow. "Guard this room!! Absolutely NOTHING is going to be coming in or out." As Karai barked her orders, the doctors had all evacuated from the scene, with at least a dozen more guards filing in after them. 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ 

"Is that the last of them Donnie??" Leo called back as he quickly threw his arm out, knocking aside a random goon as he and his brothers all sprinted through the hall. "From what I could pick up, yeah!! Those were the only other holding cells down below!" "Great-" Raph grunted, picking up a soldier who had attempted to taze him and tossing him off into another two. "Now let's get the hell out of-" "Wait!! There's still a holding cell on the floor above us!" Leo made quick work of finding the stairwell, nearly ripping the door off its hinges as the rest of his brothers scaled upwards. "Just one?" "Yeah, it seems like it-" "Well then let's hurry up and finish this!" 

When the brothers first snuck in here, they had been surprised at just how...lacking the security was all on the lower floors. But apparently, once they got up higher, it was like the entire Foot Clan was centered around this one room. Whoever was inside must've been important, but they were still in need of rescuing. Kicking open the door, Donnie tossed Michelangelo some kind of round disc, in which the brother easily batted it with his nunchacku into the Foot soldier closest to the center. With a press of a button, it activated and the boys all ducked aside as the device electrocuted every soldier in the vicinity. Since they had all been so closely packed together, it was like a domino effect. The electricity would latch onto one, branch off into two others, and just keep zapping them until they all fell to the floor, totally unconscious. 

With those goons out of the way, the four all ran inside and Mikey and Leo braced themselves against the door, preventing anyone else from coming in. Just as Donatello and Raph approached the cell in the middle, prepared to release whoever was inside, they froze. They recognized that box instantly. It was the same kind that Eric Sacks had used when he attempted to drain Donnie, Leo, and Mikey of their mutagen-laced blood. Except this time the box wasn't being used to drain anyone, it was _containing_ somebody. 

"Uhh guys?? What's the hold up here?!" Mikey called from his place by the door, feeling the pounding against his shell. "Oh!! Y-Yeah, right on it!" Donnie broke from his stupor and rushed forwards to try and find the control panel that would open it, meanwhile Raph stepped forward dumbfounded. You were hanging there, bound like his brothers had been, except you were completely limp and mutated, just recently from the looks of it. The only indication that you were even alive was the steady rise and fall of your chest, as well as the heartrate monitor Donnie was fiddling with. 

As the pounding of the door became more intense, Raph looked between his brothers and then back at you. There was no way you could go back home looking like this...not like the others they released just now. He had no way of knowing if you were anything like Bebop or Rocksteady but, considering that their mutation had been done in the open and you were trapped, it was clear that you must've been a prisoner here. So, gritting his teeth, Raph braced his sai inbetween his knuckles and simply punched hard at the glass, shattering it instantly. At this, Donatello straightened up and fidgeted with his hands while Raph stepped in and cut you free from your bonds. "W-Well uh..that's..one way of doing it." 

As Raph picked you up in his arms, making his way back to his brothers with Donnie in tow, Leo and Mikey both looked at your form with wide eyes. "We're takin' 'em with us." At this, Leo shot Raph a hard glare, of course hesitant about this since he had no idea what you were doing here like this. "They were a prisoner here just like the others! They got no other place to go!!" Running out of time and options, Leo huffed and nodded. "Alright. Time to head out then." Grabbing a busted up pipe from the balcony railing above them, Leo shoved it inbetween the door handles and the four brothers began to step away. "Nice one genius, now how the hell are we getting out of here?" Raph remarked, looking out the window to see just how high up they were. 

"You all remember Mikey's blunder with Don's staff and that old construction site?" Mikey gasped in offense and Donatello shrugged, a faint smile on his lips as he began to follow Leo's reasoning. "Why don't we recreate that little day huh? Mikey!! Get to the center of the room!" The youngest brother furrowed his brow, grumbling nervously and preemptively rubbing his plastron at the memory. "Aw c'mon guys!! That really hurt a lot and I couldn't move for like a week after that!"

"MIKEY!!"  
"MIKEY!!"  
"MIKEY!!"

The brothers all simultaneously yelled at him, which was enough to kick his butt in gear and head for the open center of the room. 

Donnie stepped up as well, both Raph and Leo keeping their eye on the door as he rolled his shoulders. "Sorry in advance man.." "Yeah yeah yeah, let's just relive my shame." With that, Mikey flipped upwards and retreated into his shell. Simultaneously, Donatello jumped up high over him and aimed the butt end of his staff down. Right as he positioned himself, he pressed a button on his staff and the weapon extended violently, slamming into Mikey's chest and forcing his shell to break through the floor, creating a hole for the others to follow through. 

Raph kept a careful grip on you as he descended, the others helping Mikey up while he readjusted his hold to toss you over his shoulder and keep his other hand free for his sai. Although his brothers didn't exactly agree with the way he was tossing your limp form around, there wasn't any time to argue as they heard the doors busting open from the room they were just in, and the turtles quickly made their way down through the elevator. After that, it wasn't hard to find a manhole cover outside of the building, everyone leaping inside with Raph last. 

"Here, hand them over so you can-" "I can do it by myself, Donnie!!" The purple ninja lifted his hands up in mock surrender and shrugged, fully descending into the sewers below. Once he was alone, Raphael once again had to shift you around in his arms as he awkwardly made his descent. "Oookay alright..don't knock the mutant's head against the wall Raphie.." He muttered to himself, crawling down the ladder and then slipping the manhole cover back over him once he was down. 

Sure, they were all safe and free now, with everyone the Foot had kidnapped released and escaping back home, but now they had a new issue to face. And that new little problem, was none other than you.


	6. Purple Mind [2]

Walking along, you kept a solid hand on your messenger bag at all times. It wasn't that you were afraid you were going to lose it, but almost all of today's progess you had written down was stored away in there, as well as some extra lab notes and a few old pictures you had taken for analysis. Needless to say, you just didn't want to take the risk of anyone bumping into you and knocking away all of your work. 

Yet as you turned the corner, fiddling with the keys in your pocket, you tried to take your usual shortcut through the alleyway when a low voice from behind stopped you cold in your tracks. "Hand over the bag." You didn't recognize the stranger, and as you slowly turned, you couldn't decide what to be more frightened of. The fact that some imposing man was trying to take your stuff, or the fact that he was dressed in full tactical gear and had a baton ready in his hand. "I.." You started, swallowing your growing panic and slowly backing away, the man taking an extra step towards you for every one of your own. "I..I can't do that. A-Almost all of m-my life's work is in here!!" 

You tried to protest but, whoever this guy was wasn't having it. "I won't ask you again. Hand over the bag-" With a click of a button, the baton lit up and crackled with electricity, the goon closing the distance between you two and fast. "-or else I'll do this the hard way." At this point, you were doing everything you could to hold back tears, clutching your bag with an iron grip as you backed yourself up against a literal corner. "..p-please. Please don't do this.. Can't you just..t-take my money instead?" 

The man stood silent and imposing over you, the only acknowledgement you got from him being a shake of his head. "Too late for that." And with that, he lifted his baton over his head, the blue electricity making your hair stand on end as you screwed your eyes shut and braced for the pain to come. 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ 

Tonight was a rather...slow night to say the least. That should be a good thing considering what a certain four brothers did for this city, but when your whole life centered around taking down baddies, it could get pretty boring quick once there weren't any baddies to take down. This was especially true for the brother in orange, who was currently laying on a billboard ledge tossing a ball up and catching it as it came down. "Uuugh do we like, reeally have to be out here?? All the bad guys are gone man! And the NYPD is taking care of all the fun stuff too." 

The eldest in blue, remaining vigilant over the city skyline as always, simply sighed and tossed out over his shoulder, "Of course we have to be out here Mikey. Just because the Foot Clan aren't as prevalent anymore doesn't mean they won't try to rebuild. Besides, even without the Foot, there's always something going on that can be stopped.." Raphael scoffed at his brother's choice of words but didn't make any remarks on it, just as bored as the rest of them were. Without anything to punch except a bag back home, he was getting pretty antsy and always needed to keep his hands busy with something. Which in this case were his sais, continuously twirling them around in complex maneuvers much to Donatello's dismay, who was currently trying to tinker with the tech on his wrist but didn't want Raph accidentally cutting any wires. "Watch where you're spinning those things!! This is all highly sensitive te-" 

"Hand over the bag." 

At that, Donnie straightened up and looked to Raph quizzically. "Uh..what was that?" The turtle in red had finally gone still, shrugging his shoulders as he craned his neck to look around. "Wasn't me, man." The brothers all looked around, Leo throwing up some sort of hand gesture to keep quiet and he peered over the ledge. There right below him, was a Foot soldier creeping in on someone. Once the boys all got to see what was happening, Mikey was the first one to break the silence and whistle. "Ooh, that one's a cutie! I call dibs!!" "Wait Mikey, don't-!!" 

With an excited yell, any attempts at stealth were flung out the window as Michaelangelo flipped over the building's ledge and landed directly on top of the Foot soldier, pinning the guy's body under his feet and knocking him out cold in the process due to his weight. "Aww man, I got it over too quickly!" Up above, Leo massaged his temple while Donnie rolled his eyes with a sigh, moving on in to join his brother so he could get him out of there fast. 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ 

As you braced for a hit that never came, you instead flinched at the rush of air in front of you and a heavy thud. When you heard a lighter and younger voice, only then did you crack an eye open. And what you saw had you at a loss for words. Two...men? Creatures? Stood over you, the man who had threatened you now a useless pile at their feet. 

One was shorter, maybe perhaps just an extra foot or so taller than you. There were all kinds of dangly bracelets or shells hanging over his wrists and neck, an orange bandana over his face and he looked like he was dressed straight out of a filthy California skater magazine. The other was _much_ taller than his companion, taped up glasses sitting on the ridge of his nose and an infinite amount of screens, iPads, and battery packs hooked up onto his body. This one had a purple bandana instead and was quietly scolding the smaller one in a hushed voice, to which his companion simply straightened up and lightly shoved him in the shoulder. 

"Relax brah!! That other person probably like fainted or ran off by nnooww-oh no." Their attention both turned onto you as if they hadn't expected you to still be there. The rational part of your brain was yelling at you to scream and run, hide from these alien things before they beat you like they just did to this guy. But..the scientist in you couldn't help but stare and scan over their bodies, completely dumbfounded that they could exist. "Uhh..hello?" 

Donatello hesitantly waved a hand in front of your face, not sure how to react considering that you hadn't fainted or screamed or anything yet. That seemed to be enough to break you from your stupor however, perking up and grabbing onto Donnie's hand. Both of the boys flinched, now incredibly unsure what you were going to do or how to respond to this. As for you on the other hand, as your panic began to recede, it was slowly becoming replaced with curious glee. "W-What...who _are_ you guys..?" 

"Uhhhh..." Donatello was frozen stiff as he cast a glance to his brother, Mikey only shrugging in response which did nothing to soothe his nerves. However Donatello's panic quickly shifted into flustered nervousness as you began to look over his hand, tracing his palm with your finger and sizing up your own hand against his own. "These aren't suits of any kind.. You're reacting to my touch like..like a living being." "I-I uh...I m-mean what? Nooo it's just um..a dream?" 

Mikey stifled a laugh at his brother's misfortune, though his glee was cut short as the two other brothers decided this train wreck was going on long enough and jumped down to join them. "Okay, keep yer grubby mits to yourself, pal." You stumbled back as a much gruffer creature appeared, sporting a red bandana and tattered clothes. "Raph, knock it off alright? I'm sure they were just..surprised." The one in blue, wearing much more simple and traditional attire pushed his brother aside. "Say uh..we aren't here to harm you, and you saw nothing here tonight got it?" 

You on the other hand, could care less about what he was saying, and the boys all collectively reeled back as your eyes lit up with stars. "You're REAL!!" "I...I'm sorry what?" "Ey, you heard of us or somethin'?" "No no, it's just-" You began to excitedly shift from foot to foot, circling the turtles while they all tried to keep a certain distance from you. Oh how ironic..they were the 'intimidating' mutants here that outnumbered you, and yet they were completely put off by how eager you seemed to be towards them. 

"I mean it's kinda obvious, the shells, the scales, the reptilian smell, you all are turtles!! But I just..you guys are turtles that can speak! You all can walk upright and dress and are complete marvels of nature!!" As you rambled on and on about your fascination, you were already running statistics in your head, occasionally poking at the orange one who giggled and knocking on the red one's shell which caused him to growl and snap at you. "Alright we ain't your lil freak show, pal! You done yet??" Raphael was starting to get pretty annoyed with your talking quickly, especially considering the fact that you were acting like he and his brothers were some creature in a zoo. 

This was enough to make you step back and flush in embarrassment, flustered over the fact that you had let yourself go off on a tangent like that. "A-Ah!! I'm uh..I'm sorry there, it's just.." With a warm tinge still on your cheeks, the wonder didn't leave your eyes as you looked to each of the brothers. "In all my life, I have _never_ seen anything so.." 

"Ugly?" 

"Scary?" 

"Impossible?" 

"Freakish?" 

"Beautiful.." 

Now if the boys hadn't been shocked before, they were **completely** lost now. Ever the charismatic and social one however, Michaelangelo easily took this as an opportunity to swoop in and throw an arm over your shoulders. "Well I'm glad _somebody_ is finally recognizing me for my good looks~ I'm Mikey and you?" You had to use every ounce of strength you had to not freak out over this fantastical marvel actually _touching_ you, and instead dumbly nodded and introduced yourself. Mikey in turn introduced his brothers while they each collectively recovered from perhaps their first random compliment that had been from a stranger. 

"I uh.." You cleared your throat, trying to brush away the embarrassing display you showed off earlier. "I never properly thanked you for saving me back there. Do you..have to do this often?" At this, Donnie shrugged and gave you a shy grin. "As often as we need to really. This was nothing." "But uh.." Leo finally stepped forward, kneeling down a bit to your height and placing a hand on your shoulder. "You..think we're cool right?" You nodded, your attention now solely on him. 

"And because of that, you wouldn't tell anyone about us...would you?" Finally catching on to his meaning, you shook your head. "Oh! No way!! I mean as fantastical as the mere existence of you guys are, I know for a fact that my team would try to dissect you or something.. I would **never** wish that on any living being, especially ones who just saved me." At first, Leo had breathed a sigh of relief, but then his tension quickly returned. "Wait...team?" "Ah well..I'm a biologist, it's in my nature to get excited about studying living things. I work with a few others but, they're a bit less..ethical in their practices." 

Leo narrowed his eyes at you, as if trying to determine whether you were lying or not, but then straightened up with an unreadable smile. "Well no worries then. Because even if you _did_ say anything...we could easily track you down anyways." Despite how rational this one showed himself to be, that single line sent a cold spike straight through your heart. It wasn't an obvious threat, but you knew what it meant well. Not wanting to risk any further embarrassment or harm to your psyche, you simply nodded with a nervous grin and Leo rolled his shoulders back. 

"Alright then. You just hurry home, and I think it's about time we get to ours." With that Leo leapt up to the rooftop. Raphael sent you another dark glare before following in suit, with Mikey giving you a wink and finger guns as he did as well. Donatello moved to jump, but before he did, he turned and gave you a little wave. "Uh..nice meeting you." You blinked and your smile grew. "Y-Yeah! Nice meeting you too.." The turtle then waved once more and leapt up to join his brothers, leaving you alone in the alleyway to return home. 

As the boys all raced back over the rooftops, talking quickly about the interaction they just had with you, questions began to spring up. You were a scientist so did that make you a threat? Your team didn't sound like good people, so could you even be trusted? Why didn't you run away? The turtles were left sidetracked by everything, instead choosing to ignore those thoughts for now, all except for Donnie. In a way, he could understand your line of logic. The only other person who really rambled on like that was, well...himself. While his brothers sprinted further ahead, the tech-savvy turtle always close behind, he couldn't help but steal a glance at his palm. The same one you had touched. And for a moment, he was left wondering...what it would be like if he could have a scientific team or partner of his own to share in that excitement.


	7. Blue Voice [2]

The first thing you noticed was that April was gone. Her sheets had been tossed aside and the window was left completely open. In a panic, you immediately searched over the room for any sign of her. You just didn't want to believe that she could really be gone. As you began to feel the overwhelming stress of a panic attack creeping in, you heard masculine voices and laughing outside the window. Maybe..the creeps who took her were still nearby? 

You should probably call the cops but, honestly it would take forever for them to get here. And by the time they did, April might be gone!! So, as you balled up your nerves, you retreated into the hall to grab the broom from the closet, making your way back to April's room and her open window. For a moment you stood still in the cool breeze, listening for any further signs of those men or even April, and that's when you heard a loud, jolting _pop_. Your already stressed out mind assumed it to be a gun, and in a fit of desperation to check on your dear friend, you hopped out the window onto the steps of the fire escape and quickly began making your way upwards. 

You could still hear them talking and laughing (probably celebrating their kidnapping, those sick fucks), so thankfully they hadn't noticed you yet. Once you reached the top, you kept yourself perched underneath the ledge, once again trying to build up the courage to confront them. 'Okay dude, you've _got_ this.. Sure there might be a gun but, bullets are expensive! April could be hurt...so just go up there and start swinging. Don't think!!' 

As you took in a deep breath, only halfway settled from that mini pep-talk with yourself, you eventually just gritted your teeth, held tight onto that broom, and leapt over the edge with it raised poised and ready to swing. "GIVE ME BACK MY FRIEND YOU ASSHO-" Once you leapt up however, your words caught in your throat. The first thing you saw was April, alive and perfectly well thank god.. But what made you freeze in your tracks were the four.. **things** surrounding her. 

The five of them all stared at you in a mix of horror, shock, and dread, where neither of you moved. There were a few pizza boxes scattered around and scraps of confetti littering the roof, all of it going unnoticed by you due to your shock. "Uhhh.." The one with glasses and a million screens attached to his back broke the silence. "Hi?" After all the stress and panic you just went through, and now having to face _this_ , your poor brain just shut down completely and the broom fell from your hands. The next thing you saw was the world going sideways as you fainted, a flash of blue swarming your vision, and then nothing. 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ 

Blinking away the dreariness from your eyes, you winced at the bright light above you and noticeably replaxed as someone moved to block you from the light's intensity. "Easy there, take it easy.." April's voice was calm and soothing, the cold weight of an ice pack being placed on your head. "Wh...April?" "Yeah, it's me. Just breathe." Normally you would've been super relaxed by this, however as the last few memories of what happened began to filter through your head, your eyes shot wide open and you sat up instantly. 

Ignoring the throbbing between your ears, you gripped April's shoulders and quickly looked her over for any sign of injury, to which she tried calming you down by calling your name and patting you reassuringly on the arm. "April!! I- You were gone! A-And the window was open and there were th-these guys and-" You gasped, taking in a breath. "WAIT those weren't even guys!! I got so freaked out and- and-" "Woah!! Calm down okay? Look, I'm perfectly fine and healthy..see? Nothing to worry about." 

As you calmed your breathing, you leaned back a bit and finally let go of April, trying to rationalize everything you had witnessed. "But...what was that? What happened?? All I remember is seeing you surrounded by those..those-" You cut yourself off when you saw April begin to wince, seeming as if she was bracing for some kind of insult to come from your mouth. If..what you saw wasn't real, then shouldn't she be looking at you like you were crazy or trying to deny what you said? "April..was...all of that real?" For once, the quick-witted reporter had no reply, instead biting her lip and glancing around the living room as if the answer would magically come to her. That was all the proof you needed. 

Lifting your hands up to your face, you threw yourself back on the couch you were laying on and nearly sobbed. "Oh no April..we're dead or kidnapped by aliens or something and this is how you try to tell me.." Despite your suffering, that actually made April laugh and she shook her head. "What?! No no, it's just..well remember those friends of mine I sometimes tell you about?" You moved a hand away to show your exasperated expression. "You're a reporter. You have a lot of friends." "I mean like, the four brothers. The ones who you say sound kinda crazy but in a fun way?" 

At this point you had no idea where April was going with this and had sat up once more from the couch, your brow furrowed as you tried to understand. "Uh..yeah? What about them?" "Wellll...who you just saw? That was them." To say your whole world was rocked was a massive understatement. Those creatures, whatever the hell they were, that surrounded April were the **same** exact guys she was always telling you about?? Before you could ask anything, April began to explain pretty much everything that she failed to mention in her past stories to you. 

Everything between the fact that they were mutated turtles, to their ongoing fight with the Foot Clan, she even explained that whole alien situation that happened a year back and how they had prevented it with the NYPD's help. As you began to take everything in, nodding along purely dumbfounded, you _almost_ told her that it sounded made-up. But honestly..after that whole alien invasion debacle last year and the Shredder and his goons, it was hard to argue against her. Just too many crazy things happened at once to really deny.. Besides, April was one of your dearest friends. She wouldn't have any reason to make up a lie this elaborate, regardless if she was a reporter or not. 

"Sooo..." She began, having finished telling you everything and waiting with a nervous smile for your reaction. "Thoughts?" Taking in a deep breath, you got up and went into the kitchen, took off the covering from the leftover cake, grabbed a fork and began eating it right off the stand. No slicing required. "Are you like..mad or freaked out or anything?" April hesitantly asked, standing in the doorway by now to try and read you. "Honestly..I would've been upset if you _hadn't_ told me about these guys before but, in a way, you kinda already did." You took another bite. "Let's be honest. There's been crazier shit in New York. This is just...my outlet cake. But yeah, from what you've told me in the past, they sound like good..people." 

April breathed a sigh of relief and straightened up, her posture visibly relaxed now. "So you're okay then?" "Yeah man, I've got cake and my best friend wasn't kidnapped." "Would you like to properly meet them then?" At that you nearly choked on your next bite. "Wait..are they like..here? As in right now??" April nodded, and you looked down at your pajamas and icing stained clothes. With another long sigh, you set your fork aside and did your best at trying to look presentable, nodding with a hesitant smile. "Yeah, might as well." 

After the verbal okay had been given, it was like they sprung out of nowhere. One in red hopped down from the ceiling, one in orange came out of hiding from behind the banister, the purple one crept inside through an open window, and finally the blue one came out of the hall closet. Seeing them all in proper light was..incredibly different but, April was trusting you with not freaking out. Besides, you already knew who they were in a sense, you just had to figure out which name belonged to which turtle. 

The blue one was the first to properly greet you, giving you a polite bow and offering a smile. "It's nice to properly be meeting you. I'm Leonardo." Only wanting to be polite, you extended your hand to give him a handshake and returned the smile, relaxed by the patient kindness in his eyes as you gave him your name. "Ah this is so cool!! I hate keeping secrets all the time, nice to be meetin' you face to face brah!" Orange(you assumed to be Mikey since he seemed so upbeat) hopped over the counter to greet you as well. "A'right numbskull, give the newbie some space won'tcha?" The gruff one in tattered clothes and a toothpick between his teeth seemed to be Raph, the aggressive hot-head. From there it was easy to figure out who Donnie was with the glasses and all of the height in the family. 

Now with introductions out of the way, you fidgeted awkwardly with them all crowding around your kitchen and looked to the cake you had abandoned earlier. "Would any of you guys..like some cake?" "Would I!?" Michaelangelo perked up immediately and you made quick work of giving your guests a proper plate. Once you all got to sit down, eat, and chat, you figured out what really had happened just moments ago. April wasn't kidnapped, she had just snuck out to celebrate her award with her friends on the roof. And that 'gun' you thought you heard? That was actually a party popper Donnie had managed to find and put together. 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ

It was a huge relief now knowing your friend wasn't in any danger, but admittedly, it might take you a while to really get adjusted to..all of this. Your uncertainty didn't go unnoticed however by one of the more observant brothers, Leonardo, as he looked over your plate and then back to you. "Say, you've hardly touched your cake. Better be careful that Mikey doesn't snag it." He tilted his head towards the brother in question, who was currently being held back by Raph so that he wouldn't just inhale the rest of the cake that was left over. Letting out an amused chuckle, you turned to look at the eldest brother for a moment before giving him a smile. "Well..it's nothing really, it's just that...this is a lot to take in all at once." 

Leonardo nodded and shifted a bit in his seat to face you better. "I can understand that. We..aren't exactly the kind of people that you see everyday." Oh boy. Now he's offended. Or at least, that's how you interpreted it, because you quickly added on to that. "Oh no way!! I mean..yeah like, I don't see big turtles all the time but..April has already told me so much about you guys. From everything she's said, you four are good brothers and even better heroes, and she believes in you all a lot. So why shouldn't I do the same?" 

Apparently what you had said seemed to strike a chord in Leo, as his cheeks darkened slightly with a blush and he cleared his throat to hide it. "I..why um, thank you. Thank you very much." You laughed at his response and his smile returned, the atmosphere much lighter than it had been before. "Really though, thank you for your understanding. April has told us loads about you as well and she's really lucky to have a friend as great as you are." 

Now it was _your_ turn to blush from the compliment and you fumbled over yourself, quickly eating down cake to try and muffle whatever stupid thing might come rolling off your tongue next. Leonardo didn't seem to mind though, and the two of you continued to eat and chat with the others until all the cake was gone and they had to leave. You were happy to give your goodbyes alongside April and the two of you left the dishes in the sink and promptly went off to bed to sleep away the excitement of the evening. 

As for the brothers however, they couldn't stop rambling about what happened. Raphael scolded Mikey of course for being so reckless, while he in turn was just happy about making a new human friend and getting the chance to eat your 'baking' (you didn't have the heart to tell him it all came from a box). Donatello gave a halfhearted apology about the party-popper again, but he didn't really mean it since it wouldn't have caused you to go looking for them. As for Leo on the other hand, sure Mikey teased him about how closely you two chatted with each other, but honestly he was just content with the conversation you two got to share. 

It was rare for him to really engage with anything deep unless he was talking to Splinter or maybe his brothers when it was late, and although you both had kept your conversation light and social, it was still a nice breakaway from the norm for once. Now with you knowing about their existence, he was sure you'd all be crossing paths again, so he chose not to worry about it any longer for once.


	8. Orange Heart [2]

Your head was pounding as consciousness slowly returned to you, your limbs numb and tingly after the electric treatment that you had been given. Slowly blinking away your grogginess, you recognized that you were in a moving vehicle. The occasional glow of a street lamp would filter by through the cracks of the door. As you attempted to move your legs, you were immediately stopped by something binding you. 

Looking down, you could see that they had bound your feet to the floor and had your wrists tied together with chains. Over your face was a muzzle of some kind, and you hardly had enough room to wiggle out. You once again tried to get up, standing on wobbly legs and tingling nerves. Lifting your wrists, you attempted to pull the chains apart by force, but then jolted once you heard a bang against the wall and whipped around. 

There sitting behind you on either side, were the two goons who had knocked you out in the first place. Further back, there was a grated window revealing the front of the van and its driver. "Don't bother." The woman's voice came from the front, the one who had confronted you in the alleyway. "You're not leaving anytime soon, so you may as well get comfortable." What? Comfortable?? You were being abducted by some shady people in a van, your body restrained, and you just had to be comfortable?! Obviously you knew she was being sarcastic, but at this point your fight or flight instincts were kicking in. 

Where were they taking you? How far were you from home? From New Jersey? Question after question began popping up in your mind and your stress levels were starting to go through the roof. But no..you _needed_ to keep a level head, or else who knows what these bastards might do to you. 'Okay, think inner me, think.' You began to try and rationalize in your head, essentially talking yourself through this stressful ordeal. 'There are two guys with you who are definitely guarding you from busting out.. They had those taser rod things.' You snuck another glance at them both and yup, sure enough, there were the batons strapped to their hips. Along with a few other holsters strapped to their chests and thighs, presumably holding stuff like guns or knives perhaps. 

You were way out of your element and, even if you did know how to fight a little bit, you weren't sure if you could handle two highly trained goons at once. The most you've ever fought has always been drunken creeps, muggers, and the occasional street brawler. But you couldn't lose hope, there just _had_ to be a way you could get out of this mess...right? 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ 

As the blackened van sped down the highway, tagged along by two others on motorcycles, a thunderous roar broke the steady hum of the night. Karai quickly looked through her rearview mirrors, cursing under her breath as a familar truck suddenly crashed onto the road. Pressing a finger to the comm link in her ear, she began shouting orders to her fellow Foot. "It's the turtles!! Stop them from getting to us at any cost!" 

The two on motorcycles made their affirmations and then doubled back to start attacking the turtle's massive truck. Inside, the four mutant brothers were already busy trying to keep tabs on the Foot soldiers nearing them, as well as their van ahead. "Hey uh guys?!" Mikey called from his back seat, looking out a window to see one Foot soldier pulling out a gun and attempting to blow their tires out. "They've got guns!!" "They ALWAYS have guns doofus!" Raph answered, growing antsy without getting the chance to immediately punch them out of the way. 

"Didn't you say this was supposed to be some kind of cartel or delivery??" Leo rambled off, looking over the multitude of buttons and switches on the dashboard and not knowing what a single one of them did. "I said it _could_ be!! Whatever it is, the Foot really seemed hush hush about it!" Donnie swerved left on the road to try and run one of the cyclists off the road, the brothers all gripping on tightly to their seats as he straightened the vehicle back out. 

"All the more reason to give 'em hell then!!" At that, Raphael slid open the door and literally swung out to kick the guy off the other motorcycle, now clearing Donnie off to go speeding ever closer to the van. As Raph pulled himself back in and slammed the door, Karai was desperately trying to make the van go faster, cursing the uselessness of her men. Meanwhile, you had no idea what was going on outside, but could still tell that these guys were under attack. At first you got excited, but then you realized, 'Wait, if they're getting hunted by like the police or SWAT team or something..I'm just gonna get taken in again!' You had no idea which one was worse, but at least you knew you didn't want to stick around the bad guys who tazed and kidnapped you to begin with. 

The van was doing its best to try and outspeed the turtle's truck, but it was still closing the distance between them. Donatello lined himself up properly, and with a flick of a switch, a low hatch in the front opened and shot out manhole covers to try and stop Karai. Not knowing that you were inside, the back doors and part of the wall mercilessly got crumpled in on itself with a horrific thud, causing you to scream(albeit muffled due to the muzzle) and to fall back on your rear. The two Foot soldiers guarding you had long since whipped out their pistols, and as the damaged doors creaked and eventually fell off, they didn't hesitate to step forward and try shooting at the turtles behind them. 

The Foot seemed perfectly unfazed by who or what they were attacking, but you were completely gobsmacked. Right through the exposed backside of the van, was a giant..garbage truck. But it was all armored up and painted and looked as if it was prepared for this battle. As if that wasn't baffling enough, through the windshield, you could see two mutants, much like yourself. One at the wheel with glasses placed over a purple bandana, and the other in a passenger seat with a blue bandana and a hard look of determination as he seemed to be shouting something to a few others behind him. The two hadn't seemed to notice you inside yet through all the chaos. 

It was easy to dispatch of the two men guarding you, afterall they had nothing to cover them so with a well-timed shot from another cannon, the van jumped up a bit and caused the two men to stumble out. Donnie quickly swerved so as not to run over them, but now that they were clear, everyone's eyes all fell on you. The turtles had just assumed this was some kind of important package, a weapon or a tool of some kind, but no..the package had been **you**. You were still bound in chains, but now with nobody to guard you, you grunted against your bonds and snapped the ones holding your wrists, quickly flinging your hands up afterwards to throw off the muzzle against your face. 

"HELP!!!" 

Your pleading cry was enough to snap the boys back into action, Donnie correcting his driving to stick close to you while Leo began shouting orders. "Alright, Mikey! You get on top and hop into the van to grab them! Donnie and I will try and to stick close to you." Raph sneered. "Ey, how come I don't get to do any of the rescuing?!" "Because Mikey is the only one small enough to fit through the roof hatch." Leo retorted, though not wanting to stick around any longer, Mikey burst forward with a bright grin. "Say no more, fearless Mikey is on the rescue!!" Just as the hatch opened above him and he hopped out, Leo groaned and shook his head. "..I should've let Raph do it." 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ 

Now that your hands and mouth were free, you were currently trying to bust your way out of the cuffs on your legs to no avail while this arguement all went down. Soon enough, a turtle sporting dangly shell necklaces, orange mask, and overall real 'skater boy' vibes, soon hopped up onto the roof of the armored truck. He easily sprinted across the moving vehicle and jumped the gap inbetween, landing with a thud right in front of you. "Not to worry my beautiful damsel, Mikey's here to save the day!" At first you furrowed your brow, confused as to how he could be so upbeat in a tense situation like this, but then he whipped out a nunchaku and slammed it down on your chains, breaking the cuffs that held you. 

"Woah..th-thank you so much!!" You stuttered as you scrambled to your feet, Karai furious as she was forced to watch while you escaped. "Aw, it ain't nothin~ Now hang on!!" That was as close to a warning as he could've given you, as Mikey suddenly scooped you up in his arms and took a running leap back onto the truck. Once he landed successfully, the vehicle began to slow since there wasn't any need for a chase anymore. However, before Mikey could get to the hatch, Karai apparently wasn't through with you yet. 

In a blind fury at her loss, she whipped out a pistol and leaned out from the window. The brothers inside all saw what was coming, yelling at each other as well as Mikey to try and avoid it, but their voices were left unheard. She fired off a few desperate shots out of revenge, one bouncing off of Mikey's shell and two others hitting you right in the leg. You instantly shrieked from the sudden pain and Mikey huddled protectively over you, hurrying to open the rooftop hatch and drop you both inside. 

•*¨*•.¸¸☆*･ﾟ

Now that you were rescued, Donnie whipped the car around down a separate side road and began making his way back home to the lair. However there was still the panic over your injuries to deal with. Mikey had laid you down on the floor as carefully and quickly as he could, shaking his hands repeatedly and shifting from foot to foot in a panic. "Aww man!! You're hurt! Uhh what do we do for like bullet wounds?! Do we pick it out? Are you dying?! PLEASE don't tell me you're dying!!" He was clearly very worried and scared over your wellbeing, despite the fact that you were a total stranger, but thankfully Raphael smacked him on the back of his head to get some sense into his brother. "Well if ya keep jumpin' around like _that_ yer just gonna freak 'em out more!!" 

As you clutched your leg, gritting your teeth so as to try and focus on literally anything else but the pain, Leonardo called out from the front. "Maybe you should try to, oh I don't know, stop the bleeding first??" Now with a goal in mind, Mikey nodded feverishly and looked around the wagon for literally anything that could be used to bandage you up for the time being. Raph on the other hand, knelt down by you and got your attention by snapping his fingers in front of you. "Ey, look at me pal. You got a name?" Swallowing your pain and taking in a few ragged breaths, you shakily gave your name out to him and he nodded. "Alright, cool. Name's Raphael. That fidgety one is Michelangelo. He's got a few screws loose if ya couldn't tell." 

He gave you a wink and that actually managed to make you chuckle a bit, despite the pain. At first you couldn't tell why he was trying to crack jokes with you, but the others had picked up on the fact that he was trying to keep you alert. You weren't staring down at your leg anymore and it was a good thing too, otherwise you might've noticed the amount of blood you were losing and would've risked passing out from shock alone. Mikey though finally came back to you both with a crumpled up shirt and some old gauze, handing them off to Raph since he wasn't the steadiest when it came to patching others up. 

You grit your teeth as he bandaged you up for the time being. Of course nothing could be done about the two bullets for now, but at least he could stop your bleeding. Once he had done all he could, he leaned back with a sigh and everyone noticeably seemed to relax now that all of the tension was finally gone. With all of that adrenaline now behind them, now the turtles just had a new issue to face. You. 

"Alright short stack, why did the Foot have you locked up back there? You some lab experiment gone wrong?" Raph started, but the one in blue who sat up front had moved to the back at this point, and if it weren't for the spacious interior back here, it surely would've been cramped. "Have some decency Raph. Clearly they were a prisoner." "Or a dangerous criminal..." At this point, before you could even comment your offense, Mikey had set himself behind you and placed his hands on your shoulders. "Aw c'mon Raph, would a convict ever look this cute? Besides, you _did_ kinda save their leg dude." 

Raph couldn't exactly make a good comeback to that and just scoffed, moving up to the front to take Leonardo's seat and leaving the two other brothers to look over you. "Don't mind him. That's..just how he is. I'm Leonardo. And you?" As you introduced yourself, you also explained to the brothers how you had gotten taken and a little about your family in New Jersey, who were still undoubtedly worried for you. "Woah a Jersey dude??" Mikey perked up beside you with a grin. "So you must know like _allll_ the celebrities there right? Didn't know I was saving someone famous~!" You laughed but it quickly faded. "Yeah well..I have no idea how far I'll make it back with this bum leg of mine now." 

"Yeeeah and uh..that might be a pretty far walk too." 

"Why?" 

"Cause dude, you're like..in New York now." 

"WHAT??!"


End file.
